Love Will Thaw
by nodesiretogrowup
Summary: Settling into her role as queen, Elsa attempts to open trade after being secluded from the world. She discovers a kingdom in a similar situation. Elsa feels it would be best to negotiate the arrangements herself. She never expected to find herself staying in an enchanted castle with a monstrous host. But could there be more to him than meets the eye?
1. The New Queen

It was an unusually warm autumn day in the kingdom of Arendalle. Although nothing could be stranger than the weather that the kingdom had faced only months before, though it seemed like it had been much longer. It was the middle of July, and Princess Elsa was about to be crowned queen. The coronation was the first time in thirteen years that the gates would be open and the public would be allowed in the castle. For unknown to them, Elsa had the power to create snow and ice. As a child Elsa had hurt her sister Anna and her powers were growing too strong for her to control. The king and queen were afraid of how people would react to Elsa's powers, so they limited her contact with the outside world. Elsa wasn't even allowed to see her sister. The king and queen died three years ago, but Elsa was not of age yet. Shortly after she had turned twenty-one, her coronation was held. It was then that her powers were revealed to the kingdom. She fled to the north mountain and set the land in an eternal winter. She returned from the mountains, only to almost die at the hands of Hans, the prince of the southern isles. Anna had been able to save her and Elsa took her rightful place as queen. She was a fair and just ruler who was loved by all in the kingdom.

"Elsa, do you really have to go," Anna asked through a pout.

Elsa shook her head. "Anna, it is my duty as queen to meet with the rulers of all Arendalle's current trading partners and possible new ones."

"But I hardly see you anymore."

Elsa had to admit her sister's words were true. During her first month as queen, she did not have to worry about foreign affairs so she had more free time to spend with Anna. They had so much catching up to do. While the castle staff was preparing everything for the new queen, Anna and Elsa spent almost every moment together. Elsa had told Anna about what caused the two sisters to be separated. After that they did all the things they had wanted to do with each other for so long. Unfortunately, once Elsa had to start her queenly duties, she had less time to spend with Anna.

"Well, can I at least come with you?" Anna looked at her sister with big puppy eyes.

"Not this time Anna. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone and I need you to look after things."

"But no one has heard anything from Molyneaux in ten years! Who knows if they even want to be trade partners?"

"Oh Anna, Arendalle had limited contact with the outside world for thirteen years. We at least need to try." Elsa saw that this answer did not please her sister. "How about this? When I get back we'll throw a big party and the next day it will be just you and me. How does that sound?"

Anna did love balls and she knew if Elsa said she would make time for just the two of them, she would keep it. But she still felt a bit mischievous. "I'm so glad that the queen would take time out of her busy schedule for me." She dramatically flopped onto Elsa's bed and the two girls burst into laughter.

All the preparations had been made. Elsa was to leave in the morning. Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf were very concerned for her safety. She tried to convince them that she'd be fine, but she finally agreed to let Olaf come with her, to put all their minds at ease. Truth be told, Elsa was glad that Olaf was coming along. After thirteen years of solitude, she was much happier in the company of those she loved. Before she knew it, Elsa and Olaf boarded a boat that would take them to France. This wasn't Elsa first trip out of Arendalle. She and Anna had gone to Corona shortly after the "eternal winter" and found out Princess Rapunzel was their cousin. That trip had been so much fun, but she doubted the trip she was about to go on wouldn't be fun. It was a diplomatic/political trip. And it was much further from Arendalle than Corona was. But Elsa had to stay strong, for two reasons. The first was she was still getting used to her queenly duties and needed to appear knowledgeable of foreign policies. The second reason she needed to stay calm was to make sure her powers didn't overwhelm her again. After Anna helped her gain control of her powers, Elsa was pretty good at keeping them under control. But this was all new and frightening to her, so she felt it was best to try and avoid another breakdown. Putting a land in an eternal winter was probably not the best way to start a trade partnership.

Anna ran up to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. She thought of when their parents had drowned at sea. Anna couldn't bear the thought of losing Elsa. Tears streamed down her face. She looked at Elsa, who seemed to have the same thought on her mind.

"Promise you'll come back."

Elsa hugged Anna tight. "I promise."

The sisters wiped their tears away. Elsa turned to look at Olaf. His snow flurry was still going strong. He could tell that Elsa was nervous so he smiled up at her and grabbed her hand.

"Everything is going to be ok Elsa. I'll be right here with you."

Somehow the snowman's words calmed her down. Elsa was so glad she had decided to bring him along.

Most of the kingdom had shown up to see off their beloved queen. Elsa was touched. Only months before Elsa saw herself as a monster and a danger to everyone around her. After her powers were revealed it seemed like her fears were true. But once she accepted herself the way she was, everyone else did as well. As she walked through the crowd to the boat, she heard people giving her their best wishes and their assurance she would return home safely. If only Elsa could believe that for herself. As she and Olaf boarded the boat, Elsa addressed the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming to see me off. I know Arendalle hasn't gained any new trade partners in years, but I intend to change that. Farewell my dear subjects. Not a moment will pass without me thinking of you." Elsa looked straight at Anna after that last bit of her speech. Anna understood what Elsa was saying and she waved to her sister.

Elsa watched as Arendalle grew further and further away until she could no longer see it. She sat down on the deck. Suddenly her heart sunk and a wave of homesickness washed over her. She felt so far away from home, from the world she knew and could handle. As Elsa felt her eyes fill with tears, Olaf plopped himself right next to her. He had a big grin on his face and Elsa found herself smiling as well.

"Thank you for coming with me Olaf. I thought I'd be able to handle being alone, heaven knows I've had a lot of practice, but now I see that I was just trying to put on a brave face."

Olaf just giggled and patted her hand. "No one really wants to be alone, do they?"

Even though he was only a few months old, Olaf was very wise. Elsa thought back to those long thirteen years of loneliness. She had wanted to be with her sister, but was too afraid that she would hurt her again. If she had known how to control her powers then, she would not have stayed alone in her room. Elsa looked at Olaf's earnest face and she gave the snowman a hug. She noticed that a few tears had escaped her eyes, but she didn't care nor did Olaf.

After a long month at sea, they had finally reached land. Elsa was so relieved to be able to stretch out her legs. The small bed quarters were fine for Olaf, he was short. He could walk in without having to duck his head. Some days Elsa was a tad jealous of his luck, but then Olaf would do something sweet for her. During the long month at sea, Olaf seemed to know exactly when Elsa was in need of a pick-me-up. She again silently thanked Anna and Olaf for insisting he come along. Olaf rushed into her quarters shaking Elsa out of her thoughts.

"Elsa, Elsa!" He sounded like Anna when she was little, asking her to come play. Elsa put a hand to her mouth as she let out a small giggle.

"Elsa, we're here! We can roam around free!" Olaf giggled.

Elsa thought back to their month at sea. Olaf tried to make friends with the crew, but they were too focused on their work. And no one was more focused than the captain. But Elsa completely understood why. The last time any member of the royal family had traveled by sea, they met an untimely end. That was why Anna and Elsa had traveled by land to get to Corona. She tried to explain this to Olaf as best she could without tearing up. Luckily, Olaf seemed to have a basic understanding of what had happened. So the two of them spend most of their time together, only seeing the crew at meal time and almost never saw the captain.

"All ashore that's going ashore."

Elsa and Olaf had walk for what seemed like hours before they finally found a town where they could stalk up on supplies and ask if anyone there knew what had happened to whoever ruled over this land. Elsa had made herself a dress that was a bit less elaborate than her dress she wore as the snow queen of Arendalle. It was much easier to travel in. But she still wore heeled shoes. Elsa hadn't worn flat shoes since she was thirteen. She knew as the future queen she had to become a proper lady and proper ladies wore heals. As they came closer to the village, Elsa wondered how she would present herself. Would she act as a queen should, or would she be too fearful? And how would the people react to a queen entering their village? What if she lost control of her powers? So many questions flooded her mind, she almost didn't hear Olaf.

"Look Elsa! The town is right there!" Olaf hopped in place. He hadn't realized how much he missed people until he saw the village.

Elsa took a deep breath to collect herself and clear her head. She had decided that she would just act as natural as she could. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Olaf bouncing up and down. It hit her right there that she could not bring him with her. Elsa was unsure the townspeople even knew that Arendalle had a new queen, much less one with the power over ice and snow. It broke her heart to have to tell Olaf couldn't come with her. He seemed so happy.

Elsa cleared her throat. "Olaf, I think it's better that you stay out of sight." Her heart sank as she spoke. But Olaf took the news better than she expected.

"Oh right, they might not know about your powers." Elsa was surprised that he knew exactly what she was thinking. But she should have expected it by now. Over there long trip, Olaf proved himself to be very insightful.

"Just wait right here and I'll be back as soon as possible." Olaf nodded in response and plopped down, humming to himself.

 _Ok Elsa. You can do this. Just picture these people as your own subjects._ Elsa took another deep breath, put on a brave face, and made her way into the village.


	2. A Dark Castle in a Dark Woods

Mistress Kyouku- Thank you for your kind words! I have a few more chapters written up already, I'll try to work on some more. As for Gaston…😊

The sun was setting as Elsa made her way into the village. A strong winter breeze blew through the air. For a moment Elsa wondered if she was unconsciously creating it, but remembered that it was actually winter. Elsa was amazed at how small this town was. Though all she had to compare the town to was Arendalle and Corona, and neither of them could be classified as towns. And the people there were used to seeing royalty walking around. From the look of this town, she doubted they had seen anyone of substantial wealth, much less royalty. It took everything within her to keep pressing onward, instead of fleeing like she wanted to. Her stomach grumbled, so she tried to find someone who could help her. It seemed like there was no one on the streets, most likely due to the weather. Elsa tended to forget most people didn't handle the cold as well as she did. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a somewhat portly man covered in flour. He must be the backer! Surely she could buy some bread from him. Now she just had to build up the courage to talk to him.

 _You can do this Elsa. Just take some deep breaths. If he can't help you he may know of someone else who could._

Elsa pushed all her worries from her mind as she called out to the baker.

"Excuse me, monsieur," Elsa tentatively cried out. She wondered if she had spoken too softly. The man turned towards her and stared at her for a bit before answering. Elsa felt a bit self-conscious and smoothed her dress. He seemed to notice her uneasiness.

"Forgive my staring, it's just we don't get visitors around here often, much less a pretty young maiden traveling alone. What can I do for you mademoiselle?" The man seemed as flustered as she felt.

"I would like to buy some of your baked goods please." Elsa smiled, less like the regal queen she should be, but as the timid young woman she was. The man seemed to sense her fear.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," the man chuckled. His laughter had put Elsa at ease and helped her focus on getting food. Olaf may not have to eat, but she did.

"What will it be?" He gestured to his whole stand, which was fairly small. Everything looked and smelled so delicious. Elsa had a hard time making up her mind. Then she realized that she probably had enough money to buy out his whole cart.

"Would it be too much to ask for one of everything?" Elsa tried to have as much confidence as she could muster.

"One of everything? Are you sure you have the money? I can't just give food away to every beautiful young woman who comes to my cart. My wife wouldn't allow it," he replied with a wink, indicating that he was just teasing her.

Elsa reached into the bag she had with her and pulled out a small pouch. "There should be twenty pieces of gold inside. I hope that is enough."

The man took the pouch and poured out its contents. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Elsa had a worried expression on her face. "Is it too little? Because I have more."

The man chuckled again. "Oh mademoiselle, this is more than enough. How did you come by this much money?" His eyes went from the money to Elsa. He looked suspicious. Elsa tried to figure out just how she would answer. She doubted he would believe the truth. _At least, not the whole truth._

"I am a foreign diplomat from Arendalle. I'm here on business for the queen. But I don't want people to know I'm here. Don't want to cause a fuss." Elsa nervously smiled, hoping the man would believe at least that. And it wasn't a total lie. She was a diplomat and she had been sent by the queen. She just didn't say she was the queen. The man shrugged, seeming to believe her story. The man filled two baskets with all the bread from his cart.

"Thank you monsieur." Elsa gracefully curtsied to the kindly man.

The man bowed to her. "You should probably seek shelter. It looks like a big storm is rolling in."

Elsa noticed that the wind had picked up. Her thoughts went instantly to Olaf. She worried that he would be blown apart. She thanked the man one more time and rushed off to find Olaf.

Unfortunately for Elsa someone had been watching her since she entered the village. And he decided to reveal himself.

"Why hello there mademoiselle," he said as he swaggered towards her. Elsa had to use every inch of her willpower to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him.

"I know every beautiful young woman in town and I don't believe I have seen you around," he smiled a bright, white smile that made Elsa want to roll her eyes again.

The man was built very similarly to Kristoff, but to a much farther extreme. And he seemed to be much cockier and into himself than her reserved friend. He had long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and blue eyes that show there were lights on but no one was home. To put it bluntly, he was not the type of man Elsa wanted to associate with. She mustered up her most queenly mannerisms to deal with this man.

"Bonjour monsieur. Could you please move out of my way? I need to find my friend and shelter from the storm." Elsa tried to walk around him but he had wrapped his arm around her shoulders. This was proving to be more difficult than she had anticipated.

"My name is Gaston and I can protect you from this storm." He gestured to a tavern. "My tavern is just over there. You'll be safe and we can get to know each other." Then he winked at her. Elsa couldn't believe it. This… _Gaston_ fellow was attempting to _flirt_ with her! She would have laughed if she wasn't so worried about finding Olaf. After a few attempts she had escaped his tight grip.

"I'm very sorry Monsieur Gaston, but I have a friend to find." Elsa started to walk off when Gaston grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her towards his tavern.

"I don't think you understood. That wasn't a suggestion. I do not take no for an answer."

Elsa had just about enough of this Gaston character. Luckily there was a puddle just in front of them. She discreetly froze the puddle as he walked over it. As Gaston slipped he loosened his grip on Elsa's wrist. She broke free and ran as her feet would go. As she ran she heard Gaston shout out, "You haven't seen the last of me! You will be mine!" Elsa sincerely hoped that his words were an empty threat.

Elsa finally found her way back to where she had left Olaf. Luckily he was waiting in the same spot she had left him. And it looked like he was still all together. Unfortunately, in her rush to get away from the brute of a man in the village, Elsa had forgotten the bread. And she feared going back for it because she would most likely run into Gaston. She had barely gotten away this time, Elsa really didn't feel like pressing her luck.

"Elsa, I'm so happy to see you!" Olaf hugged her and then pulled on her skirt. "But do you think you could stop this wind? I feel like I'm going to be swept up and lose some pieces of me."

Elsa shook her head. "Unfortunately, mother nature is the one causing this storm. We should look for a place to make a shelter for the night."

Olaf tapped his chin and walked around in a circle. "All I see is a forest. Probably can't stay there."

"No, it's perfect. I can make us a place to stay, at least for the night. It's far enough that no one should be able to see us."

The forest was much more…unsettling to say the least. When Elsa had run away to the North Mountain, the forests she encountered were fairly tame. Anna told her that wolves had attacked her and Kristoff on their way to find her, but Elsa had not encountered them herself. They had been fairly calm. But this forest…everything looked like it was out to get her and Olaf. The pair pressed on to try and find a clearing large enough for Elsa to make some sort of shelter. She knew she wouldn't be able to make something as elaborate as her ice palace, but she hoped she could at least make a little hut. When she was about to give up hope, Elsa saw a shape in the distance. It looked like a castle. But why would a castle be so far away from anyone? Maybe she was just seeing things out of desperation. Or out of extreme hunger. Or both.

"Olaf, do you see what I see?"

"If you are talking about that castle in the distance, than yes. Do you think someone lives there?"

Elsa gulped. "It wouldn't hurt to check." Right now, it was their only option.

As the castle came clearer into view, Elsa started to think the castle was more intimidating than the forest. Back home, the castle she and Anna called home looked warm and inviting. It was made from wood and stones and the curved shapes gave an aura of friendliness. And while the ice palace she had made on the North Mountain was very angular, Anna and Kristoff found it beautiful. She also had full control over it, which put her at ease. But the castle in front of her, it had none of those qualities. The colors were dark and cold. Everywhere Elsa's eyes went was met with sharp edges. Gargoyles seemed to be watching her every move. The pair reached the gate only to find it closed. Elsa knew a thing or two about closed gates and doors, seeing as she had spent most of her life behind them. Seeing the gate brought those memories up to the surface. With her doors it meant she wanted to be left alone. Elsa figured that whomever lived in this castle felt the same way.

"Olaf," she fearfully gulped, "I think we should leave. This place doesn't look too inviting."

"What do you mean," Olaf scoffed, "I'm sure whoever lives here is the nicest, warmest person ever." And with that he pushed opened the gate and almost skipped to the door.

Elsa attempted to grab him, but that snowman was too fast for her. "Olaf, wait! We don't know who or what lives here!" Olaf had made his way to the door and pushed it open. Elsa rushed to catch up to him.

She had hoped that the castle's interior would be a bit less foreboding, but she had no such luck. In fact, the inside was somehow even more disconcerting. Elsa swore she felt the cold stares of unseen eyes. In her uneasiness, she seemed to have lost Olaf. She really wanted to run out of that castle without a second look, but Olaf could be in danger.

"Olaf? Olaf? Where are you?" Elsa heard something move, but it did not sound like the footsteps of her snowman companion. She and Olaf were not the only ones in this dark place. Someone, or something, was with them. Elsa didn't want to think of what could be lurking in the dark. She heard hushed voices. "Hello? Is someone there? I'm…um." How could she explain her situation without sounding completely mad? "My friend wandered in here and I can't seem to find him."

Olaf had wandered deep into the castle before he realized Elsa was not right behind him. While the castle didn't scare him at all, due to snowmen not having any preconceived fears, he knew that Elsa felt uneasy. He attempted to retrace his steps. Olaf saw movement and assumed it was Elsa.

"Oh good I found you," Olaf sighed contently. However, the movement he had seen had been a clock. And the clock seemed to have a companion, a candelabra. Of course, Olaf saw nothing odd in a moving clocks or candelabras. He was a talking snowman after all, nothing could really seem that odd to him. Olaf figured he should introduce himself and ask the clock to help him find Elsa. But he should probably avoid the candelabra. Even though the flurry Elsa had given him protected Olaf from warm weather he still could be harmed by flames.

Olaf put on a smile and tried to put his best foot forward. "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

The clock and candelabra seemed to be startled and jumped at the sound of Olaf's voice.

"What…what in good heavens are you," the clock stammered. It spoke with a male voice and a stuffy British accent.

"Oh Cogsworth, isn't it obvious," the candelabra said to the clock. The candelabra also seemed to be male, but he spoke with a thick French accent. "Clearly he is a servant that we have never seen before."

"Lumière, that is impossible! I know everyone in this castle and I have never seen," Cogsworth gestured with his "arms" towards Olaf, "this thing before."

"I'm a snowman. Have you never seen a snowman before," Olaf asked innocently enough, but the clock man seemed offended.

"Of course I have, but snowmen don't talk."

"Well, clocks and candelabras don't normally talk. At least, none of the ones I've seen has." Olaf snickered.

The clock seemed to be at a loss for words. "Well I never…"

The candelabra, however, laughed at his companion.

"It was nice talking to you, but I need to find my friend," Olaf waved at the pair and went along on his merry way again.

"Lumière, we have to go after him before the master finds him! He will not be pleased, and who knows what he'll do…" Cogsworth trailed off, imagining what torture could be waiting for him.

"What the master will do to you or the snowman?" Lumière jabbed his friend playfully and they went off to follow the surprisingly fast snowman.

The deeper Elsa went in the castle, the more fearful she became. _How far had that little snowman gotten?_ Elsa felt the room grow cold, cold enough to cause her to emit a shiver. Or maybe it was her fear that caused her to shake. Whatever it was, Elsa hugged herself to stop the shiver. Then she thought she saw something moving in the shadows. That something looked much larger that her. Elsa hoped it was her imagination, but she heard the something make noises. She gulped, trying to get herself together before she spoke.

"Hello? Is someone there?" _So much for composure_.

Elsa heard a low growl and wondered just what she had gotten herself into.


	3. A Prince in Disguise

Mistress Kyouku- Thank you again for the kind words. I completely forgot about the bread. Umm, Aladdin stole the bread. Anyway, Gaston will show up again later, so who knows what will happen to him. (because I haven't written that far.)

It was a stormy Christmas Eve and the weather wasn't the only contributing factor. A young prince and his staff were celebrating the holiday. The servants were doing their all to please the temperamental monarch, but with little success. The prince had recently turned twelve and he was more demanding than he had ever been in his childhood years. Ever since the prince's parents had died almost a year ago, he had become angry and would lash out at anyone who would not give in to his demands. The radical change in the prince's temperament had Mrs. Potts, Lumière, and Cogsworth; the servants who had known the price his whole life shocked and worried. They were unsure of how to deal with the prince's new attitude. Mrs. Potts wanted to a direct approach to straighten the boy out but Cogsworth was too fearful of how the prince would act. Lumière decided to make a compromise between the two, saying they should give the prince until his next birthday to straighten his attitude out. Unfortunately for them, someone else was willing to act faster.

"I demand more presents," sneered Adam, the spoiled young prince.

"You've opened everything Your Highness," Mrs. Potts said.

Adam opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a banging at the door.

"Who dares disturb my Christmas," Adam growled. He went to the door in part because he felt his servants we're too incompetent and in part because he wanted to see this unwelcomed guest face to face. He swung the door open to see a small, haggard, old woman.

 _Just great._

"What do you want," the prince asked with a tone of obvious disgust.

"Please sir, it is a very cold night and I need shelter from the storm." The old woman's whole form shook as she spoke.

Prince Adam scoffed. "Why would I let such a hideous creature stay in my beautiful castle? Leave my sight." He turned to walk away and slam the door when he felt a tug at his sleeve. _How dare she touch me!_

"Wait, I can pay you," the old hag replied. Out of her sleeve the hag pulled a rose with an other-worldly quality to it. Unfortunately, the prince did not notice or care.

"A rose? You expect me to let you stay in my castle in in exchange for a rose? Get out of my sight," sneered Adam as he turned his back to the old hag.

Suddenly there was a blinding light and a strong gust of wind. The prince turned around to find the source of the light. It was the old hag. Her appearance and height seemed to be changing. As the light faded, a beautiful young woman stood where the old hag had been. Well, floated. Adam stared up in amazement then remembered what he had just done. Fear flooded his body and the prince fell to his knees.

"Prince Adam, I have heard stories of your selfish nature. People have claimed that you had no love in your heart. I wanted to judge for myself and I have found them to be true. You are a cruel, heartless young man and something must be done."

"Please forgive me," he begged, "I didn't…if I had known who you were I would have…"

"It is too late. You have shown me what you truly are…a beast."

As she spoke the last word the prince felt a horrible sensation overcome his body. It felt similar to when he tried to wear clothes he had outgrown; only it seemed to be his own body that felt too tight. Pain flooded his head, as if something was pushing its way out of his skull. He felt like there were rocks in his mouth. His knees buckled and his legs gave out, no longer able to support him. Adam fell to the floor as the enchantress hovered over him.

"What, what did you do to me," he stammered, not recognizing the sound of his own voice. It was much deeper and somehow less human.

"I merely made your outer appearance match your inner one." And with that, she held out a mirror.

The prince reached for the mirror, but was startled by the arm in front of him. Adam had always had fairly scrawny arms his whole life. The arm that was stretched out in front of him was very muscular. And it was covered in thick, brown _fur_. No, that couldn't be right. He must have been dreaming. Adam grabbed the mirror with his hand, but it too felt different. He stared in horror as he lifted his arm to look at his hand. It barely resembled a hand anymore. It looked more like an animal's paw. His finger nails were now sharp claws. _This couldn't be real._ With his heart beating in fear, Adam lifted the mirror to see his face. And he almost dropped it. The face he was used to seeing had been completely changed! Instead of the face of a young boy looking back at him, Adam saw the face of a beast! He now had horns growing out of the top of his head. His mouth was filled with sharp teeth and fangs protruded from his lower jaw. His nose had been stretched out into a mussel. And his whole face was covered in the same fur that was on his arms and…paws.

Adam roared into pain and anger. If he hadn't been so flooded with emotions his new voice would have scared him.

"Why did you do this to me?" He tried to stand up on his legs, or whatever they had been changed into, to look the enchantress in the eye.

"You have become cold hearted and uncaring of those around you." She gestured to his servants, or what used to be his servants. The floor was now littered with pieces of cutlery and other random objects. They seemed as confused as the prince was but he was more concerned about himself at the moment.

The enchantress continued. "Your heart has no love in it. But I will give you a chance to break your curse."

"Well what is it?" The prince had never been particularly patient and he wanted out of this new body.

The enchantress pulled out the rose she had offered him earlier. But the rose now floated just above her hand. The rose was also emitting a pink glow from its petals.

"This rose will bloom until your 22th birthday. If you can find someone who you fall in love with and they return your love, you and your servants will return to your human forms. If the last petal falls before you do, you will all remain in your cursed forms for the end of your days."

That was not the kind of answer the prince wanted. In a fit of rage he went to swipe at the rose. The enchantress pulled it out of his reach.

"If I were you, I would keep this in a safe place. Wouldn't want anything happening to it, would we?"

The prince let out a low growl, still unaccustomed to his lower, animalistic voice.

"I also leave you this." Just then the mirror Adam had in his paw started to glow green.

"This mirror will show you anything you wish to see. To a certain extent. It will not show you the future nor will it show you the someone who could possibly break your curse. And now young prince I must leave you." She started to fade away.

"Wait, you can't just leave me like this! Come back here!" But she was gone, leaving him alone in the dark. Well, not completely alone.

"What should we do Your Highness," asked a voice that sounded like Mrs. Potts that seemed to be coming from a teapot.

The former prince hated being reminded of what he had been only moments ago. He was no long human, much less a prince He was now a…beast.

"Never refer to me in my former titles," the beast snarled. "You will address me as Master." He then ran off to his room, hearing the hopping of his servants and their voices calling out to him. He tuned them out. He didn't care about them, he only cared about himself. He tried running on two legs but it proved too difficult. Reluctantly, he started to run on all fours. It was much faster and felt like the way his animal form should move. Once he reached his room he locked himself in. He approached his bed, hoping this was just a bad dream. As he neared his bed he passed by a full length mirror and saw just how horrible his new form was. His shoulders were much broader than even his father's had been. His feet had also been replaced with paws and his legs looked like the hind legs of a wolf. His new form even had a tail! For what seemed like the thousandth time today he let out a howl of anger. He shattered the mirror and all the furniture in his room. He saw the magic mirror and rose on a table that had been spared from his rampage. Remembering the enchantress's words, he looked for something to cover the rose so it was protected. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a bell jar that was still in one piece. Carefully he placed it over the rose. He decided in that moment he was no longer Adam and was unsure if he would ever be again. He now was…the Beast.

Ten years had gone by, the entire castle losing more hope with each passing year. The Beast had become more animal like. He hardly ever left his room and when he did it was to hunt for his meals. He barely said a word to anyone. His room was his sanctuary. He used to look to see if any travelers neared his castle for the small chance a young woman happened upon him for a chance at breaking the spell, but none came. The Beast fell into despair and had accepted his fate. With only a year left, the Beast just wanted to be alone.

And for almost a whole year he was. But when winter began that year, a large storm had blown in. He heard the door open. When he was younger he had imagined the door opening with the enchantress reversing the curse or someone coming to free him from his fate. But this time, this time it sounded very real. How dare someone come to his castle. Couldn't they see he wanted no trespassers? Then he heard footsteps. Being isolated from humanity so long he had almost forgotten what they sounded like. The Beast went to find the source of the footsteps. He didn't plan on hurting the trespasser; he just wanted to scare them away. Although he had given up on ever being human again, he still clung to whatever humanity he had left.

The Beast followed the sound of the footsteps, staying in the shadows. He wanted to protect himself in case a hunter had been the one who had wandered in. When he finally caught up to the sound he was a bit stunned at what he found. The intruder was a woman. A young woman at that, who appeared to be close in age to himself. And she was the most unusual, beautiful woman he had ever seen. Possibly even more beautiful than the enchantress. Her hair was almost white pulled back in a braid. She wore a blue dress that glittered in what little light the hallway had. He had never seen a peasant woman wear such fancy clothes, but he thought nothing of it. He was now lost in her eyes. Eyes that were a piercing blue that almost matched his own. It was the only feature that remained the same after his transformation. He had hated that his eyes still looked human while the rest of him was beast-like. They also seemed to hold the same pain his did as well. _Maybe she could be the one._ He shook that thought from his mind. There was no possible way a beautiful woman like her could ever love the monster he had become. He needed to get her out of there, for his sanity and her safety. It seemed he hadn't been as quiet as he thought he had been because she looked in his direction.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Her voice was just as beautiful as she was. It sounded like a song. It also sounded fearful. Just what he needed.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The Beast spoke in his lowest, most animalistic voice.

Although Elsa was trembling in fear, she wanted this…thing to answer her before she revealed anything about herself. She wanted to know just what she was up against. Elsa put on her most regal air and then spoke.

"I asked you first. Who are you?" Elsa felt relieved and proud of herself that she had spoken without tripping over her words.

 _Who does this woman think she is?_ How dare she speak to him in that tone? _No one_ spoke to him in that tone.

"I am the master of this castle and you are not welcomed here." He realized he had answered her question and that made him feel stupid and angry.

Elsa, while still scared of this person's voice, was pleased that she had gotten him to answer. She still didn't know what he looked like, but she now knew what he wanted.

"I am very sorry sir. My friend and I were searching for shelter in the woods and came upon your" _Terrifying_ "castle. My friend ran in and I have been looking for him. As soon as I find him we will be on our way." Elsa kept an upright, royal position, hoping this stranger would back down.

So there were _two_ intruders in his castle? He then thought about what she had said. She was looking for her _male_ companion. _I knew it was too good to be true._ The Beast was getting ready to tell this woman he wanted her out now when he saw three figures coming their way. He recognized Cogsworth and Lumière but the third figure was unfamiliar to him.

Elsa saw Olaf coming towards her, in a half-walk/half-skip, and she bent down to hug the snowman.

"Olaf, I was so worried about you! You really shouldn't run off like that. You could get hurt." Ever since Elsa had hurt Anna as a child she had become very protective and cautious. This habit had become even more pronounced after she had accidently froze Anna's heart.

"Ok Elsa," the snowman replied, unsure of why she was so worried. Nothing could really hurt him since he was made of snow and could actually feel pain. But he felt bad for causing Elsa discomfort.

"But look, I made new friends!"

Elsa looked around, but saw no one around. She looked over to where the stranger was and saw a clock and candelabra that she was certain had not been there before. And they seemed like they were…talking to whomever was in the shadows. _I must be delusional from hunger._

The Beast was surprised to see a snowman indoors, much less one that seemed to be alive. _Who are you to talk? You live in a castle with talking objects._

The portly clock was out of breath, so to speak, when he and Lumière reached their master.

"I'm…so sorry Master. I…didn't see" Cogsworth tried to catch his "breath." Lumière however turned his attention to the snowman's companion. It was a girl! And a very beautiful young woman at that! Maybe she was the one who would end their curse. As Cogsworth babbled and groveled to the Master, Lumière pushed the clock out of the way.

"Master, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful mademoiselle standing over there. Maybe she's…" Lumière was interrupted by a loud roar.

Elsa had been attempting to lead Olaf to the door when she was caught off guard by the roar. _Keep calm Elsa. Just talk this person down._

"As you can see, I have found my friend and we are going to leave now, just like you wanted." Elsa held Olaf's hand as she slowly walked towards the door with every intent of running as soon as she was outside.

It was then the Beast realized that Lumière could be right. It was their last chance anyway and he couldn't just let that chance get away. Staying in the shadows, he rushed over to block her path to the door. The light coming in from the door showed his true form. He could see the fear fill the girl's eyes. It stung a bit, but he was too worried about keeping her in the castle.

"You are not allowed to leave this place." Cogsworth trembled with fear and Lumière shook his head. That was no way to convince the girl to stay.

Elsa was terrified. She now saw the stranger she had been talking to and he towered over her. He probably towered over the brute she had met in the village. And he was most definitely not human. He seemed to be a mix of many different animals. The creature had horns and paws and terrifyingly sharp claws with fangs to match. Those fangs and claws looked sharp enough to tear into her skin. This… _thing_ was horrifying, like something out of her worst nightmare. But mixed with all the shock and fear, Elsa was also extremely furious. First he wanted her to leave immediately and now he wanted her to stay? She was not going to stand for this, even if he was a massive beast over twice her size.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to move. If you don't I'll move you myself." Elsa put her arm in a defensive position, ready to use her powers if necessary and held Olaf's hand with the other.

The Beast scoffed at her. He was massive and muscular while she looked tiny and delicate. There was no way she would be able to overpower him. But he wanted to see her try.

"What are you gonna do? Push me over."

When it was clear he wasn't going to move on his own, Elsa prepared to take matters into her own hands. She let go of Olaf's hand.

"Olaf, run!"

The snowman did as he was told. It caught the Beast off guard and Elsa froze the ground under him. Since the Beast hadn't been paying attention to her, he slipped, allowing Elsa to get around him and run.


	4. Out of the Woods

Mistress Kyouku- I loved the new movie. The way they handled the budding relationship between Belle and Adam. I may use some of that here. When in doubt, blame Aladdin.

When the Beast was able to get back on his feet he was dumbfounded by what had just happen. The girl had waved her hand and suddenly ice appeared. Was she the enchantress coming to taunt him? He hadn't seen the enchantress since the night she cursed his castle but her image was burned into his memory. While the girl had an otherworldly air about her, she looked nothing like the woman who ruined his life. She looked more…real somehow. He went to sulk in his room when he was stopped by Lumière.

"Master, you must go after her! She could be in danger." Lumière did not want to see such a young beauty be harmed in anyway. If he had been his handsome human self he would have protected her from the woods. It was what he did. Then the rescued damsels would show him their gratitude…sometimes more than once.

The Beast, however, was still sore that she had gotten the best of him. He wasn't used to being out smarted.

"I think she can handle herself." He walked away with his bruised pride when he heard the wolves howl. Even if she _could_ make ice magically appear, there were still more of them than her. He didn't want this girl to die, even though it was only slightly his fault she was out there in the first place.

Elsa really hadn't come up with a plan besides getting out of the castle. She wasn't even sure which direction she was going. This storm was worse than the one she had accidently caused that summer. She tried to control the snow in the air, trying to give herself some visibility, but it didn't seem to be working. Then Elsa realized she hadn't heard Olaf say anything since she told him to run.

"Olaf? Olaf where are you?" Elsa was getting increasingly worried. She was so afraid he had blown away. _At least you're still in control of your powers._ _That has to count for something, right?_

Squinting in the wind Elsa finally found Olaf. While he hadn't blown away, there was another big problem. His arms were being pulled by wolves. Olaf didn't seem to be in any pain, but he did seem less cheerful than normal.

"Elsa, do you think you could help me out here?" His arm was now completely detached from his body, and snapped in the wolf's jaw. Another wolf started getting dangerously close to his nose. And unlike Sven, Olaf did not find this wolf cute or playful.

"Olaf! Hang in there little guy." She tried to sound confident, but she was trying to rack her brain to figure out a way to save him. Even though the wolves were terrifying, Elsa didn't want to hurt them. She didn't want to cause any more pain to anyone, animal or human. Elsa ended up trying the same technique she had just used on the beast. Only she was the distraction this time. She hit one of the wolves with a snowball to draw them to her. She started freezing the ground below them. It was a temporary fix however. There were too many wolves for her to deal with on her own. The wolves got closer and closer to her. Elsa heard Olaf say something to her, but her fear had taken over. She closed her eyes waiting for the wolves to rip her apart when she heard a new voice.

The girl hadn't been too hard to find. The Beast had a heightened sense of smell so the wind and snow weren't really an issue. And just as he had feared, though he wouldn't admit to himself that he cared about her, the girl and her snowman were surrounded by wolves. The wolves were close enough to bite into her. The Beast let out the most frightening roar he had in him and jumped in front of the young woman. He bared his fangs and started swatting at his opponents. The Beast started out with the upper hand but he was soon swarmed by wolves. They dug there claws and teeth into his arm. Then a blast of ice hit one of them. Beast looked over to see the girl helping him. The two of them had scared off the wolves. He looked at his arm and saw that he was losing a lot of blood. He attempted to stand back up but everything became fuzzy. The last thing he saw was the snowman and the girl approaching him. Then everything went black.

Elsa hadn't expected the beast to come after and was shocked to see him protect her. And what stunned her more was that she actually cared that he was being hurt. But when he had looked over at her, there was something about his eyes. It was almost like looking in a mirror. His eyes were the same shade as hers and they were filled with the same fear, a very human fear. As he started to fall Elsa rushed over to him to catch his head. She looked over at his arm and it was covered in blood from wolf bites and scratches. _He risked his live, for me._ Elsa's thoughts went to Anna. She had done the same thing only months ago. Thinking of her sister cheered her up and eased her mind enough to deal with the matter at hand.

"What do we do now," Olaf looked up at her, sticking a new arm in place.

Elsa's instincts said to run. She had just witnessed him knocking off those wolves left and right. Who knows what he could do to her. But her heart wouldn't let her leave him there. He had saved her after all. She should at least return the favor. Whatever happened afterwards could be dealt with later. Besides, it was getting dark and that couldn't be good for them. Those wolves would be scared off for only so long. And she didn't want to think of what _else_ could be out there.

Elsa sighed. "I can't just leave him here to die."

Moving the beast would be complicated. He was much too heavy for her to lift, let alone carry. Elsa rose her hand and formed a snowgolem to carry him and they made their way back to the castle she had escaped from moments ago.

After all the noise that the Beast and the wind had made, Mrs. Potts; who was now a teapot, hopped over to see what had happened. She found Lumière and Cogsworth arguing as usual.

"If you ask me we're better off without her and that snowman." Cogsworth sneered as he spoke of the snowman. How dare he make him look like a fool?

"Oh Cogsworth, don't you see? That girl could be our chance at breaking the curse." Sometimes Cogsworth was wound too tight and couldn't see the whole picture.

"Don't you think I realized that!"

The two continued to bicker until Mrs. Potts had finally had enough.

"Could you two stop squabbling for one minute to tell me what is going on here?"

Cogsworth and Lumière turned to face her, looking like two children that had been caught doing something they were told repeatedly not to do. Lumière opened his mouth to explain when the doors opened for the second time that day. In walked the girl, her snowman, and some snow beast carrying the Master. Before the three could fully react the young woman spoke.

"Please, I need hot water. He's injured and I need to stop the bleeding."

Mrs. Potts hopped forward. "I can help with that. Bring him to that chair by the fire and I'll get the water."

The girl looked a bit confused, not that the tea pot blamed her, but she did as she was instructed.

Mrs. Potts made her way to the kitchen, silently telling Lumière and Cogsworth to follow her. She wanted answers. Who was this mysterious young woman? Why had the Master been in the woods with her? But her son Chip chimed in before she could get a word out.

"Mama what was all that noise?" The little tea cup had been sleeping when everything had unfolded but was awoken by the sound of his mother's voice.

"I would like to know as well," she said to the two older men with a stern look on her face.

Lumière was the first to speak. Not because he was afraid of the old woman. Of course not. That would be silly.

"Earlier this evening the door was opened. Cogsworth and I thought nothing of it assuming it was the wind."

Cogsworth attempted to chime in, saying he knew the _whole_ time someone had entered the castle because wind wasn't strong enough to open the door, but Lumière continued.

"We were then met by a talking snowman of all things!"

Chip's eyes lit up. Ever since the curse had been place Chip could no longer do anything a young boy should do, including building snowmen. It had been so long since he had seen one.

"Did you really see a snowman?"

Cogsworth chimed in. "Yes and he was very rude. Asking me ridiculous questions…"

Lumière cover his friend's mouth to continue. "We followed the snowman to make sure the Master didn't harm him. When we reached the Master there was a beautiful young woman with him. He tried to, how shall I put this, convince the girl to stay. She became frightened and ran into the woods."

"But not before shooting ice out of her hands!" Cogsworth felt that it needed to be stressed that this girl wasn't ordinary.

"Yes," Lumière rolled his eyes, "the girl made the ground under the Master icy to get away. The Master followed her into the woods and well that's all we know."

Mrs. Potts wasn't sure if she believed his story. Young women don't normally have the ability to shoot ice from their hands, but she did have a snowman with her. And she was beautiful. Her thoughts were interrupted when the kitchen door opened. The snowman entered, seeming as alive as they were.

"Hey, that guy out there isn't looking too good. I think Elsa needs the hot water now. And a towel probably."

Mrs. Potts got out of her daze and took charge. "Alright, let's get the girl what she needs."

It seemed like it was taking forever to get the hot water Elsa needed. Though she wasn't sure how they could even get the water since some of them seemed to lack hands. Even though she had seen the clock and candelabra move on their own, it was still very odd to hear a teapot speak. The teapot sounded like a kindly older woman which helped Elsa focus on what she was told to do, even if she was panicked on the inside. As she waited, she looked to see if she had any wounds herself. Other than some tears in her dress she seemed fine. Her hair had come out of its braid at some point and was now hanging loose around her face. She would have fixed it but the beast was starting to move again and she flinched, hoping he wouldn't lash out at her. The teapot returned with the hot water and a towel. When she and her sister were younger Anna tended to end up with all sorts of scraps and cuts that Elsa would tend to. This shouldn't be too different. _I hope._

The Beast's head felt woozy and when he opened his eyes everything was still blurry. Then his vision started to clear and he saw that he was back in the castle in front of a fire. _How did I get here?_ He winced as the pain from his arm came back into focus. As he went to lick it, like he had done countless times before, the girl was sitting by his chair with what looked like a bowl of hot water. She noticed him looking at her.

"I know your arm hurts, but if you let me clean the wounds it will heal much better. Please hold still for me." It seemed like she had done this before, but that didn't make him feel any better about the situation. She slowly lifted a towel to his arm and he tried to flinch away. Unfortunately that only made it hurt worse. He howled in pain.

"That hurt!" He shouted at the girl, but she seemed to keep calm.

Now she was really reminded of Anna. She wouldn't hold still either.

"If you had stayed still like I told you it wouldn't have hurt," Elsa replied as if she was talking to Anna.

The Beast was taken back. No one had ever spoke to him like this, not even his own parents. He didn't like it one bit.

"It wouldn't hurt at all if you had just stayed here!"

The servants nervously back up. Lumière noticed the snowman was just staring at the pair and motioned for him to back up as well. Although Olaf wondered what they were doing, he did as they did.

Elsa was not going to get into a shouting match with him. She knew from experience that arguing wasn't going to solve anything.

"You told me to leave so I tried to do that. Then you changed your mind and tried to scare me into staying. I know what it's like to be scared into staying somewhere and that is not a feeling I wish to relive." Elsa teared up a little but refused to cry or lose control of herself.

The Beast was at a loss for words. Normally he would be angry with someone talking to him in such a manner. But something about what she said just now seemed to hit him. The tears and pain in her eyes reminded him of many times he had cried after the curse. Maybe she was more similar to him then he had assumed.

Elsa took this moment of still silence and placed the towel on his arm, gently pushing down to stop any further bleeding.

The Beast had been so lost in his thought he had barely noticed she had gotten the towel on his arm and was now tending his wound. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The servants were stunned as well. No one, not even Mrs. Potts had ever gotten him to stay still to get his cuts cleaned.

Elsa smiled up at him. "I told you it would feel better if you held still."

She continued to work on his arm when she remembered she hadn't thanked him yet for saving her life. As Elsa constructed a thank you in her head she realized she didn't even know his name. And she hadn't told him hers. Even though she had been hidden away for thirteen years, she knew that a person usually introduced themselves when they met someone new. Even if this someone didn't really look human, he deserved to get a proper introduction. She was unsure if she should reveal who she really was, but he had seen her use her magic, so she saw no harm in telling him the whole truth.

"I think we may have started out on the wrong foot." She stood up. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendalle, and my snowman friend is Olaf." Elsa saw everyone around her, save Olaf, preparing to bow to her.

"Oh please, you don't have to do that. I just wanted to be completely honest with you. You can just call me Elsa." She reached out her arm to shake the beast's hand, hoping he would get the hint and introduce himself. She felt horrible just referring to him as "beast." He deserved to be called by his name.

The air was tense. The servants knew how big an issue the Master took with his name. Olaf, not realizing the gravity of the situation, looked from Elsa to the Beast wondering when he would tell Elsa his name.

"Tell her." Nothing. "Just tell her." More silence. "Do you think he knows his name?" Olaf looked at the objects who were trying to keep the snowman quiet.

 _A queen? She was a queen?_ No wonder she seemed different than what he knew of peasants. He should have known right away that she was royalty. She held herself in a very regal manner and dressed in clothing that was fit for royalty. But she still seemed so unsure of herself, much like he felt. He had no idea how someone so beautiful and powerful could be so unsure of herself. _She asked you for your name._ How was he going to answer her question? She didn't seem like she would accept Beast as an answer and it seemed silly for her to call him Master seeing as she was a queen while he was just a former prince. He sighed. She had been honest with him so he should do the same.

"Adam. My name is Adam," he mumbled under his breath, looking away from her, but Elsa had been able to make it out.

The servants were stunned. They didn't think he would tell her his real name. Some of the staff had come to the conclusion that he had forgotten his human name. And the young queen had gotten him to stay still and calm. Maybe this girl, this Elsa could truly be the one to break the spell.

"Adam." Elsa smiled. The name seemed to suit him. "Well thank you Adam for saving my life. Now, about earlier when you wanted me to stay here. I can't stay forever, but I will stay until the end of winter, so long as you don't scare me off again. Does that seem like a fair deal?" She stuck her hand out again, hoping she had come up with a good compromise.

Even though he hadn't answered to it in a long time, Adam liked the way his name sounded when Elsa said it. The way she said it made him feel like just for a moment he was that person again. That he was on the same level as her. She seemed to have a power over him that he didn't quite understand. Adam had never really understood girls or women before the curse, he really only knew one or two women before the curse, and he felt even more lost now. Her deal seemed fair enough. His birthday was at the end of winter anyway, so if the curse wasn't broken by then it didn't really matter anymore. He gently took her hand in his, being careful not to scratch her, and shook it.

"Deal." For the first time in what seemed like forever, the castle was filled with hope.


	5. Sunrise

Mistress Kyouku- I'm glad you're enjoying the story! This is one of the biggest projects I've taken on. I hope everyone is in character. Olaf is surprisingly the hardest character to write for. I enjoyed Emma as Belle and felt like she was the right fit. This is the last chapter I have finished, but I'm working on the next one even as we speak.

As they shook hands, Elsa noticed that the tense mood in the room had lifted. _What a relief_. She also thought she saw something in Adam's eyes change. They went from appearing angry and hurt to somewhat hopeful? Elsa may have been just seeing things. Then she realized just how exhausted she was.

"I'm pretty worn out now, um, where should I stay?" Elsa had really never been in anyone else's home and she wasn't sure how to go about getting a room. When she and Anna had visited Corona, they were staying with family members, who had prepared a room for them. She hoped she wasn't stepping on anyone's toes, so to speak.

Adam really wasn't sure how to handle this situation either. When the castle had guests stay he had been a child and didn't have to worry about formalities. Luckily for him, he had servants who did. Lumière and Mrs. Potts sprang into action.

"Follow us dear, we will show you to your room." Mrs. Potts hopped in front of Elsa.

Adam and Elsa both internally sighed with relief. Elsa turned to Adam.

"Goodnight Adam," Elsa said with a small smile. Then she then she remembered that she hadn't come to the castle alone. _Oh no, what should I do with Olaf?_ _He probably shouldn't be roaming around the castle, who knows what kind of trouble he'd get into._ "Do you want to come with me or would you rather stay down here?"

"I'll go with you." Olaf skipped towards Elsa and waved at Cogsworth. "Night mister clock man."

Cogsworth was fuming and huffed off to his resting space, muttering under his breath.

 _Goodnight Adam_. Elsa's words echoed in his head. He had been so adamant about severing ties to his old life and yet he let this woman he had just met break the rules he had set. But something about the way she said it. She said it to him as if he was still human. She didn't seem to be afraid of him. She talked to him in a manner he had never been spoken to before, but he couldn't seem to tell her not to. He told himself it was because she was a queen and she was in authority, but he knew there was more to it. It may have only been a night, but Elsa had changed everything Adam had grown accustom to. And the stranger thing was that Adam didn't seem to mind one bit.

As Lumière and Mrs. Potts took Elsa to her room, they both had so many things to ask her. But they were unsure of how to go about asking. The castle hadn't had guests in over ten years, much less a royal guest. Olaf just wandered behind them, not really paying attention to anything. Elsa, however, could feel the tension building up and decided to speak up.

"I never caught your names." Elsa got down to their eye level. She had learned when she was dealing with Anna when they were kids; it made the person you were talking to more at ease when you were at their level.

Lumière's flames lit up. He took her hand and kissed it. "I am Lumière mademoiselle."

"And I am Mrs. Potts dearie."

Elsa was a bit surprised when Lumière had kissed her hand. She still wasn't completely ok with physical contact. But her powers remained in check, so there was no harm done.

Mrs. Potts could sense the girl was uneasy so she spoke up.

"You were very brave down there. I have never seen the Master allow anyone to speak to him that way. How were you able to remain calm as he lost his temper?"

"I have a lot of experience with managing my emotions." While Mrs. Potts seemed very sincere and caring, Elsa wasn't ready to go into detail about her past. It still hurt to think about it.

After years of dealing with children and the Master, Mrs. Potts understood when someone felt uncomfortable with sharing certain things. So she dropped the subject. While Lumière wanted to know more, he wisely followed the older woman's lead.

"Here we are dearie. You can stay here during your stay." Mrs. Potts pushed open the door.

The room actually looked a lot like Elsa's room at home. Most of the room was purple and the bed was in the middle of the room. A wardrobe was in the corner of the room. Elsa was too tired to explore the room any further. She put her head down on the pillow. Olaf sat down in a corner.

"Thank you." Her voice was like a whisper.

"Goodnight dearie."

The two objects walked out of the room and closed the door.

"Lumière, would you stay up here and let me know if she wakes up during the night? I'm sure the poor dear is hungry after everything she went through tonight." She hopped away to get back to her children, to make sure they all were asleep.

Lumière saluted the teapot and stayed watch at their guest's room. Well, most of the night. Other parts he was…preoccupied by the former maid turned feather duster Babette.

On the other end of the castle, the Beast had retreated into his room. _No, Adam. Elsa wouldn't want you to call yourself that._ He was going to have to get used to using his name again. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam thought he saw the mirror glow. It had probably been just his imagination, but he suddenly felt the need to make sure Elsa was ok. Not that it really mattered to him.

He lifted the mirror to his face. "Show me the girl." His reflection faded into an image of a dark room. Adam was worried that she was gone again, but he could see her white hair on the pillow and her snowman in one of the corners. He let out a sigh of relief, not even realizing he had been holding his breath.

Elsa had always been an early riser, especially in comparison to Anna, and today was no exception. Olaf was still resting in the corner he had sat in that night. He was curled up like a dog and Elsa couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked. She sat up on the bed and realized she hadn't even taken off her shoes before falling asleep. It probably would be a good idea to wear more comfortable shoes today to give her poor feet a rest. Elsa slipped off her shoes and did her best to quietly make her way to the vanity in her room to do something with her hair, which probably looked even worse than it had last night.

A woman's voice broke the silence. "Ah, so the rumors were true! You're even prettier than everyone said!"

Elsa turned around to see a wardrobe she hadn't noticed last night. She was startled to say the least but the wardrobe seemed friendly.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just been so long since we have had a visitor, much less a female one…" She trailed off, leaving Elsa to wonder what exactly she meant by that last part.

"I am Madame de la Grande Bouche."

Elsa opened her mouth to introduce herself when she was interrupted by Madame.

"Oh I already know who you are, Your Majesty." Madame winked at the younger woman. "Word travels fast around here. Now, what should we dress you in for breakfast?"

Elsa inspected each gown before deciding on a light blue one. It was a bit plain for her tastes though. She decided to spice it up a bit by adding some of her signature snowflakes and a pair of low heeled shoes to match.

Madame found herself in a state of shock. After being cursed to be a wardrobe, she thought she had seen everything. When she had seen the snowman walk into the room last night, Madame doubted anything could be odder than that.

"In all my years I have never seen anyone do anything like that. How did you do it? Magic?"

"In a way." Elsa sheepishly smiled and made snowflakes form from her fingertips. "It's a recent discovery."

After she was completely sure she looked proper, Elsa thanked Madame and walked towards the door.

"Oh, I'll get it Elsa," Olaf said as he wiggled the handle. He put all his weight on the door and it swung open.

"Olaf, you need to be more careful! You could hurt someone."

Elsa assumed at this point that anyone who lived in this castle was an object instead of a person. She didn't really let herself wonder why things were that way. It was a tad bit odd, but she had brought a snowman to life so maybe something similar was going on here. She looked at the floor to see if there were any broken pieces. Nothing was broken but the noise seemed to have woken up Lumière and a feather duster that was with him.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I didn't wake you did I?"

If he could blush in his current form Lumière's face would have been beet red. He and Babette shared a glance. Lumière winked at her and Babette scurried off giggling. He then directed his attention to Elsa.

"Oh of course not mademoiselle! I was merely…resting my eyes for a bit."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Was your friend resting too?"

Lumière laughed awkwardly and stammered an attempt at an excuse about Babette. "Are you hungry mademoiselle?" He asked in hopes of changing the subject.

Elsa felt her stomach growl. It seemed so long since she last ate. But she didn't want to appear rude.

"I am a little hungry, but only if it's not a bother to anyone."

"Mademoiselle, it would be an honor!"

Mrs. Potts hadn't been able to sleep the previous night. She was partly worried about the Master and his injuries, but she was more concerned about the young woman who had come to stay with them. _Young queen_ , Mrs. Potts corrected herself. Even though she had put on a brave face, Mrs. Potts could tell she was somewhat frightened. And from what Cogsworth and Lumière had told her of the queen's arrival to the castle, Mrs. Potts couldn't blame her. The curse had only made the Master's temper problem worse. There had been times that she and the other servant feared for their lives, due to their more fragile bodies. Mrs. Potts doubted anyone could get him to act civilly. But Elsa had found a way to get through to him, even if she had been afraid. Mrs. Potts also had noticed then queen had a sadness about her as well. Something had happened to the poor girl, she could feel it. Mrs. Potts hoped the younger woman would eventually feel comfortable enough to come to her for support.

"Mama, are you ok? You look sad?" Chip had hopped over to his mother and rested his body against her, looking at her with sad eyes.

Mrs. Potts was shaken out of her thoughts. "Oh dearie I'm fine, don't worry your little head over me." She kissed her son on the forehead.

Knowing his mother was ok, Chip's mind was filled with questions about the castle's new guest.

"Mama, is the girl staying with us really a queen? Can she really do magic? Does she really have a snowman? Can I play with him?" The boy rapidly enquired.

Mrs. Potts chuckled. "Why don't you wait until can ask her yourself?"

Chip pouted. That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He really didn't have much patience when it came to, well pretty much anything. Even though he was in the form of a cup, Chip was still a five year old boy. He had been five years old when the curse had been place and had remained the same for the last ten years. But Chip wasn't the only one who hadn't aged. All the other objects had stopped aging as well. None of them quite knew why, since the Master continued to age. The best guess they had was that inanimate objects couldn't age.

"But mama…" The little cup pouted until he heard the kitchen door open. In walked the very people he was curious about.

"Hi, my name is Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Chip's eyes were as big as saucers. "So it is true!"

Mrs. Potts greeted their guests, "Good morning your High…I mean Elsa. Have you come down for breakfast?"

Elsa nodded. "If it's not too much trouble. I didn't get to eat last night and…"

Before she could finish her sentence the staff had sprung into action.


	6. Just A Little Change

Mistress Kyouku- Thank you for the kind comment!

Adam did not sleep a wink that night. He had always had problems sleeping, which the curse had only made worse. Hard to fall asleep when you barely even fit on your bed and the monster from your nightmares is you. But those were not the thoughts that had kept him up that night. His thoughts were focused on someone else for a change. _Elsa_. Her hair. Her eyes. The way she had stood up to him. She was like something out of a dream. In fact, maybe he _had_ dreamed her up. Beautiful queens don't usually just show up in the middle of the woods. With great effort, he pushed himself off his bed and walked over to the table where the mirror lied.

"Show me…Elsa," Adam timidly asked, feeling a bit silly.

Slowly an image formed in the mirror and Elsa appeared. He sighed in relief. She _was_ real and not a figment of his imagination. She was as beautiful as he remembered from the previous night. Maybe he still had a chance to break the curse. It was a long shot though. Elsa was so beautiful and regal while he was monstrous. He then noticed her surroundings. She was in the kitchen, helping the staff prepare breakfast.

"Dearie, you don't need to do that," Mrs. Potts said as Elsa helped set the table.

"I know, but I wanted to help anyway," Elsa replied. It didn't feel right to just stand around and let everyone else do all the work. Also, it was a bit unnerving to watch silver wear just float through the air.

"Thank you for letting Chip play with Olaf," Mrs. Potts said, "He really hasn't had the chance to be a little boy since…" Mrs. Potts suddenly stopped. "Well, it's been awhile."

The pause did not go unnoticed by Elsa. She could tell that the older woman was hiding something, but she didn't press the issue further. Elsa knew the importance of secrets.

"It's really no trouble. I think Olaf enjoys the company." Elsa's thoughts turned to her mysterious host. She had so many questions. Who was he? Why did he live in a castle? And, was something… _magical_ going on here? Objects usually didn't walk around or talk. Beasts usually didn't have human eyes. Elsa was far from an expert on magic, still learning the full extent of her own powers, but she could tell something strange was afoot.

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Elsa asked, "will Adam be joining us for breakfast?"

Mrs. Potts shifted uncomfortably. "The Master isn't the most social person. I wouldn't get your hopes up, dearie."

Fortunately for Elsa, Lumiѐre and Cogsworth had been listening in on the two women's conversation. They exchanged a look then made their way to the West Wing.

Adam stood staring out his window. He knew that this was his last chance to break the curse. But how could he get a woman as beautiful as Elsa to fall for a monster like him. She probably had many princes trying to win her hand. Human princes. Handsome young men. What chance did he stand? There was a knock at the door that stirred the prince out of his thoughts. Cogsworth and Lumiѐre appeared in the doorway. The clock and candelabra shared a look, like they were deciding who would speak first. Both were shaking with fear, not that either would admit it.

Cogsworth cleared his throat, "Master, I believe that Her Highness would…"

"I think what Cogsworth is trying to say is that the mademoiselle requested your presence in the dining room," Lumiѐre chimed in.

Adam was taken aback. He didn't think someone like Elsa would want to have anything to do with him.

"She really asked for me?"

"Indeed she did," Lumiѐre replied.

"Now," Cogsworth said with an attempt at sounding authoritative, "let's go down stairs…"

"NO," Adam shouted, then added quietly, "I can't."

Cogsworth backed away while Lumiѐre hopped forward. He was not about to let the master just stay in his room. Not when they _finally_ had a chance to break the spell.

"And why can't you?"

"Because…she's beautiful and I'm…" Adam gestured to himself.

Lumiѐre hopped up onto the table to look the master in the eye. "Now is not the time to be timid. You must help the girl to see past your appearance," Lumiѐre said with an encouraging tone.

The Beast sighed. "I don't know if that's even possible."

"Well, you could _attempt_ to be a gentleman for once," Cogsworth mumbled under his breath, hoping not to be heard. Unfortunately, his master had excellent hearing. He glared at the clock, who ran over to hide behind Lumiѐre.

Adam wanted to be offended, but his major domo was right. He had never truly behaved like a gentleman. And since Elsa was a queen, he should be on his best behavior.

He sighed, shoulders slumped. "You're right. Elsa is probably used to being surrounded by proper gentlemen and royalty."

Lumiѐre and Cogsworth looked back and forth between their master and each other, mouths agape. They had never seen the former prince so…collected. When anyone made a suggestion to him on how he should behave, the master would lose his temper and lock himself in his room. It seemed that Elsa's presence was changing things. Maybe there was a chance that she could help break the curse.

Lumiѐre grinned. "Well then, why don't you get dressed. We wouldn't want to keep the lovely mademoiselle waiting," he added with a wink.

The table had been set and all the food was laid out. The staff had really outdone themselves. Food covered practically every inch of the seemingly never-ending table. There were decadent desserts, scrumptious pastries, crisp loaves of bread, and mouth-water savory dishes. Everything looked amazing. Elsa briefly wonder where the food had come from then realized something. _There is no way that I can eat all of this food on my own. But it would such a waste to leave so much food untouched_. Elsa turned to Mrs. Potts to tell the older woman that while she appreciated their hospitality, this was a bit too much. However, Mrs. Potts stared at the doorway. Elsa followed her gaze and saw Adam standing there.

I am so sorry this has taken so long. A lot has been going on with me: jobs, family, etc. My muse just hasn't been with me. Also sorry that this chapter is shorter than normal, but I felt like it the right place to end this. I will try to get the next chapter out faster.


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